Terry Miranda and Dubai based Lighthouse Productions designed and supplied
another elegant set and lighting design for the 2016 Al Burda Islamic Art Awards
staged at the Abu Dhabi National Theatre in the UAE.
Nearly 100 Robe fixtures graced the rig, including 16 x ROBIN 300 Beams, 12 x
ColorWash 575 ATs, 12 x MMX Spots, 24 x PARFect 100s, 12 x Pointes and 16 x
CycFX 8s. Lighthouse, known throughout the region for its fresh and inventive
designs, has invested in Robe since 2004 and currently owns a large inventory of
products.
The annual Al Burda Awards is open to artists of calligraphy, poetry and music from
across the Middle East and internationally, whose works are judged by a panel of
experts, and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and organised by the Federal Ministry of Culture
and Knowledge development.
Lighthouse has lit the event, now in its 12th year, several times, chosen because of
its understanding of Islamic design principles and history, elements of which it has
actively applied to its eye-catching production designs over the years.
In the roof, six of the theatre’s house LX bars were utilised for lighting positions,
staggered downstage to upstage, with 17 x Robe PARfect LED PARs installed inside
each of the smaller set arches and 7 x Robe 300E Beams on the floor at the apex of
each projection surface.
The CycFX 8s were deployed along the front of the stage above the Perspex stage
skirting and used in the footlight position for subtle front light as well as for a
sweeping curtain of light and chases into the audience and back onto the stage,
where they also worked very well for washing the performance area.
The Pointes were rigged on LX bar 2 and used for what they do best – punchy high-
impact beam and gobo effects and key lighting for speakers at the central podium.
MMXs are one of Terry’s favourite Robe fixture and feature in many of his designs.
For this one he used six MMX WashBeams on LX Bar 4 and another six positioned at
FOH, ideal for front-of-stage washes and as artist specials.
Lighting was controlled using Jands L5 console which also controlled the video
content, synergising both the lighting and video content for the show.
Low weight loading in the 30-year old theatre is a major challenge, so using Robe’s
range of “smaller-brighter-lighter’ luminaires is a great solution for being able to
maximise the environment and fit in as many fixtures as possible.
Lighthouse’s client base is extremely varied, and Terry, the creative principle as
well as the company’s founder, needed fixtures that could cover multiple scenarios.
“Having Robe on-board has “allowed myself and the company to expand into many
new areas,’ he observes.
